Blige (Missy Elliot and Eve) joins anti-Bush song remake (BBC)

[Nambe]

BBC News

Rap and R&B stars Mary J Blige, Missy Elliot and Eve are recording a song to encourage voters away from President Bush in the run-up to the US election.

The trio are re-recording the 1960s hit Wake Up Everybody, which was used during the 1976 election to mobilise black voters to back Jimmy Carter.

It will feature on a benefit album for America Coming Together, a campaign group promoting a change of president. ..

Backed by the America Coming Together campaign, the collective will visit 28 cities during the run-up to the US elections in November.

[Citizen Daryl]

1. Nice, but again I must ask ...

... why weren't they out in force, getting the back of the Dixie Chicks when they were getting crucified for speaking out - MILDLY! - against Bush?

... why weren't they out in force, commemorating the death of Edwin Starr, the man responsible for creating perhaps the most powerful anti-war song of all time? His death was ignored, and his song was blacklisted. Singers like Mary and Missy should have been on stage singing this song in tribute to him, if for no other reason. They should have helped take the heat. Rock and R&B have always been about rebellion. It just bothers me that everyone's crawling out of the woodwork and writing anti-war/anti-Bush music now that it's "safe" to do so.

[noonwitch]

2. I'm just glad to see so many musicians joining up now

It's good that musicians from different types of music are joining up. If they can get Jesse Norman and some other opera singers involved, they'd then have it all covered.

[LauraK]

3. Natalie had a lot of support from tons of artists at the time.

When disc jockeys were banning the Chicks, a long list of artists publicly and privately supported her. Remember the media blackout of anything anti-bush in the news? If "Act for Change" wasn't impossible to ignore, we still wouldn't be hearing the voice of so many artists. At the time, Natalie was a relatively insecure young girl that made an honest off the cuff remark that brought the wrath of the neo-cons down on her. I read a relatively unreported statement by Willie Nelson that reflected the strong support given to Natalie within their community. I seems to be a big jump for an artist to speak out on political issues. Record companies are quick to punish them.

[jdj]

6. Springsteen also supported her publicly.

It probably was, as you assert, a media blackout of voices in support of her.

I'm not sure asking black r&b and rap artists to publicly support a white country singer is realistic, anyway. I'm not sure country singers would come to the support of a rap artist in this position.

[henslee]

4. Awareness is a process. Welcome to the tent, gals.

[xchrom]

5. that is so cool!

love mary j blige.

[expatriot]

7. how hard it is to put on a show?

these 20 artists are putting on a total of 34 shows?

I am just thinking about how hard some of us are working to de-select Bush and think that if these artists put half the amount of energy into it we would be having hundreds and hundreds of shows.

[madrchsod]

8. about time..

mary j and missy and the rest need to speak out..jesus all they have to do is go back to their neigborhoods. when mary j sings "no more drama" ya know she means it---as we used to say back in the day--power to the people!

[GregW]

9. Now ... more than ever ... we need RATM

Take The Power Back
Spoken: 'Crank the music up'

Bring that shit in! Uggh!
Yeah, the movement's in motion with mass militant poetry
Now check this out...uggh!
In the right light, study becomes insight
But the system that dissed us
Teaches us to read and write

So called facts are fraud
They want us to allege and pledge
And bow down to their God
Lost the culture, the culture lost
Spun our minds and through time
Ignorance has taken over
Yo, we gotta take the power back!
Bam! Here's the plan
Motherfuck Uncle Sam
Step back, I know who I am
Raise up your ear, I'll drop the style and clear
It's the beats and the lyrics they fear
The rage is relentless
We need a movement with a quickness
You are the witness of change
And to counteract
We gotta take the power back


Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back


The present curriculum
I put my fist in 'em
Eurocentric every last one of 'em
See right through the red, white and blue disguise
With lecture I puncture the structure of lies
Installed in our minds and attempting
To hold us back
We've got to take it back
'Cause holes in our spirit causin' tears and fears
One-sided stories for years and years and years
I'm inferior? Who's inferior?
Yea, we need to check the interior
Of the system that cares about only one culture
And that is why
We gotta take the power back


Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back


Hey yo check, we're gonna have to break it, break it, break it down
Awww shit!
Uggh!
And like this...uggh!
Come on, yeah! Bring it back the other way!
The teacher stands in front of the class
But the lesson plan he can't recall
The student's eyes don't perceive the lies
Bouning off every fucking wall
His composure is well kept
I guess he fears playing the fool
The complacent students sit and listen to some of that
Bullshit that he learned in school

Europe ain't my rope to swing on
Can't learn a thing from it
Yet we hang from it
Gotta get it, gotta get it together then
Like the motherfuckin' weathermen
To expose and close the doors on those who try
To strangle and mangle the truth
'Cause the circle of hatred continues unless we react
We gotta take the power back


Yeah, we gotta take the power back
Come on, come on!
We gotta take the power back


No more lies (8 times, building to a crescendo)
Uggh!
Yeah!
Take it back y'all
Take it back, a-take it back
A-take it back y'all, come on!
Take it back y'all
Take it back, a-take it back
A-take it back y'all, come on!
Uggh!
Yeah!